Vending-machine.



' s. M. COPFMAN.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1913.

Patented Dec. 15. 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2. 5 I 65 jiwe/dw' 60 11am UNITED s'rA'rnis R TENT orF o SAMUEL M. COFFMAN, or KANsAs CITY, MIssoURI, AssIeNoR T0 COIEFMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or KANsAs CITY, MIssoURI, A CORPORATION OF NEVADA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Application filed May as, 1913. serial No. 770,362.

To all whom it may 00mm I Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. CorrMAN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at My object is to provide an improveddelivery mechanism for this type of machine and further to associate with such mechanism a connection wlth the COHLtUbB of the machine adapted to close said tube-' against the insertion of. any further coins after, the magazine of the machine has be come empty. y

'A further object is to provide a connection between the vending mechanism and an advertising device comprising a drum which will be given a partial rotation'upon each operation of the vending mechanism. With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed, and, in order that it may be fully understood referenceis to be had to the accompanying drawings, in whichf Figure vhis a front elevation of a machine embodying my i'mprovement. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and, 4: are sections along the lines TIL-III of Fig. 2, and IV-IV of Fig. 3, respectively, the same being taken on an enlarged scale and the upper part of the machine being broken away in Fig. 4, and the chain omitted in Fig. 8. Fig. 5, is a section along theline e-V of Fig. 2, and Fig. 6, is abottom 'planview of the magazine tube. Referringto the drawings, the frame of the machine comprises a bottom section 2, supporting a set of corner posts 4 between which are suitably fitted glass plates 6, forming the sidesof the case. Within the bottom is a till 8 acting as a receptacle for the coins introduced into the machine. The front posts 4 are connected by a cross bar 10 toward the top of the case, from the rear side of which barprolects a stud 12 upon which is loosely hung a magazine tube 14C for the articles 15 such as tablets of gum to be vended. The bottom of the tube 14 is formed with flanges 16spaced from a plate 18 having a central perforation 20 thespaces between the flanges and plates forming slots 22 to receive a part of the delivery mechanism. The, plate 18 has a rearwardexten sion124 projecting between the front arms of a rock lever 26 which is journaled upon a post 28 carried by the bottom of the case.

The front ends ofsaid arms are provided with inward projecting lugs 30 which bear against the extension 25L as well as against the bottom of the plate 18Ias the shoulders also formed on said arms above theqlugs 30, ride through'the slots 22 when the tube 14 moves rearward. The shouldersSQ are bottom packet in thetube and push the same from beneath] the stack duringthefmove ment of the tube. A weight 34 islsecured to the'rear end of the lever 26 in metro designed to engage the rearedge ofthe the vending operation by meansof a shaft 86 carrying a crank 38 at its outer end, and a ratchet wheel 40 at its inner end. One face -of the wheel 40 provided witha crank pin 42 for mounting a pitman 44.

of a link 50 the other end of whichis pivoted to one side of the tube 14: at 52. The

which is connected with an intermediate shaft is normally locked by check con-.

trolled mechanism which does not form any part ofthe subject matter of this applica tion but is madethe subject of a separate application. but "the parts of which mechanismand the operation thereof may, however, be briefly indicated asfollowsz A coin tube 54 is supported in the frame of the machine in, an inclined position and isnotched at 56to receive one end of the detent 58 which has a finger 59 supported in the notch against the action of a spring 60 attached at one end, to the coin tube. The other end of thedetent is pivoted to a U- mitting the shaft to be rotated. When the pin 66 engages the other arm of the dog 62, the latter is swung to restore the hook 68 to the path of said pin in position to relock the wheel and pull down on detent 58 to reengage the notch 56. The ratchet wheel 40 is looked against backward rotation by a pawl 70 mounted on the post 64. A gravity dog 72 is pivotally mounted on the coin tube below the notch 56 with its upper end resting normally against the finger 59. When the detent is tripped by a coin the lower end of the dog 72 is swung rearward into contact with a bell 74 to signalize the fact that the locking mechanism has been released. I

A weight 76 is mounted inthe tube 14 for the purpose of resting on'the stack. of articles to be vended and insure the delivery of the last articles of the stack by maintaining the same in alinement with the opening 78 at the bottom of the tube, so that they will be forced out through the same by the shoulders 32 and dropped upon the inclined chute 80 communicating with the opening 82 in the bottom of the case. The weight is provided with corner lugs adapted to come to rest upon the flanges 16 and with a central boss 86 longer than the lugs 84, which bears uponthe top of the stack and is adapted to pass through the opening 20 in the plate 18 after the last article has been ejected from the tube. The top of the Weight is cup-shaped to receive the collapsed portion of the chain 88 so long as the weight is above the bottom of the tube. The chain is connected at its lower end to a lug 90 carried by the weight and at its upper enol to one arm 89 of a rock shaft 91 which is journaled in a bracket 92 secured to one side of the coin tube 54. The other arm 93 of said rock shaft is provided with a finger 94 extending opposite an opening 96 near the mouth of the coin tube. The purpose of this finger is .to prevent the insertion of another coin in the mouth of the coin tube whenever the supply of articles in the magazine tube is exhausted, the shaft 91 being rocked to project the finger 94 within the opening under the pull of the weight 7 6 after the chain 88 has become fully extended due to the weight having reached the bottom of the tube 14. The long boss 86 which is adapted to pass through the opening 20 provides for a sufiicient drop of the weight after the last article is vended to insure the operation of the rock shaft. In connection with the arm 93 of the rock shaft 91 I also provide means whereby the shaft may be rocked in a reverse direction to withdraw the finger 94 in case a customer should desire to insert a coin regardless of the fact that the tube 14 should be empty, which might be the case where the same coin tube is arranged with a delivery mechanism for delivering articles from two or more different magazines. This means comprises a push rod 96 normally upheld by a spring 98, the other end of the rod 96 carrying a right-angle extension 100. This extension is adapted to be moved in contact with the arm 93 as it rides in an inclined slot 102 formed in the bracket 104 mounted on the upper end of the coin tube 54. The arrangement is such that downward movement of the rod 96 causes its extension 100 to move downward and inward thereby forcing the arm 93' inward and rocking the shaft 91 against the pull of the weight 76.

A pair of brackets 106 is supported from the interior of the top of the machine case and between the brackets is mounted a drum 108 carried by shaft 110, journaled in the lower ends of the brackets. The periphery of this drum is provided with a series of card'holding flanges for receiving advertising matter. One end of the shaft carries a ratchet wheel 114 fixed thereto and designed to be engaged by a ratchet operating link 116 pivoted at a point intermediate its ends to a lever 118 which connects with a meter .120 whereby each complete oscillation of the lever 118 is registered. The mounting of the lever 116 is such that its upper end is held yieldingly engaged by gravity with the ratchet wheel 114. The lever 118 is also connected by a link 122 with rock lever 26 so that the lever 118 will be operated once for each revolution of the shaft 86, the connections being such that the drum will be turned through the space of one card for each operation of the machine.

The manner of the operation of the machine has been sufliciently indicated during the description thereof and will not require any further details of the same.

It is understood that while I have illustrated the invention by means of one preferred form of the same, I do not restrict myself to the precise embodiment shown but reserve the right to all changes and modifications falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim- In a vending machine, a pivoted magazine tube having a bottom provided with a pair of parallel slots extending from front to rear, the portion of the bottom lying between saidslots being provided with a rearward projecting extension, a pivoted rock Ill) lever having arms embracing the sides of said extension and provided with a pair of shoulders projecting upward through said slots in position to engage the rear edge of the lowermost article in the tube, said arms being provided also with lugs slidingly engaging the bottom surface of said extention and the bottom of the tube to limit the upward movement of said lever, and means Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Batents,

acting yieldingly engaged with the under surface of said bottom and extension. 1

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signa: ture, in the presence of two witnesses.

' SAMUEL M. COFFMAN. Witnesses? CHAS. W. GERARD, Gr. 'Y, THORPE.

Washington, D. G.

to hold said arms with saidlugs 1o 

